Collar clasp



April 8, 1930. A. A. MaoDONALD 3 COLLAR cLAsg Filed July 2, 1929 INVENTOR IZZan/ fl fiaonazav ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATNT OFFICE ALLAN A. MACDONALD, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SLOAN & COMPANY,

OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY COLLAR CLASP Application filed July 2, 1929. Serial No. 375,454.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in jewelry clasps; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel construction and design of collar clasp.

Collar clasps as commonly made consist of a plurality of parts that are hingedly or otherwise movably connected together. The period of usefulness of such clasps is generally short owing to rapid wear and looseness developing at the connections of the several parts as well as to the breaking of minute springs, etc.

This invention has for its principal object to provide a novel collar clasp or fastener of exceedingly simple and strong construction and which is reliable in use, comprising a single unitary structure, which is neat and attractive in appearance, very easy to manipulate both when attaching and detaching the same from a collar, and which is constructed and arranged so that either of two sides may be worn toward the front, thereby obtaining variety in appearance.

The invention has for a further object to provide a collar clasp or fastener comprising resilient oppositely extending sinuous tongues having apertures therein and whlch tongues are integrally attached to a bowshaped member having portions with grlpping means thereon adapted to project into the apertures of said tongues to cooperate therewith in firmly gripping and retaining the free end portions of a collar in desired position.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the novel collar clasp of this invention applied to a collar; 7 v Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in front elevation of the collar clasp;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the collar clasp shown in Fig. 3; and

v the member 15 to Fig. 5 is a plan view of the collar clasp shown in Fig. 3.

- Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates a collar havingits free end portions 11 and 12 retained in circumferential alignment and in desired position-with respect to the tie 13 by means of the novel collar clasp of this invention. Thiscollar clasp comprises a substantially rigid bow-shaped member 15 adapted to bridge the space between the end portions 11 and 12 andtooverlie these end portions in gripping relation'therewith. A plurality of serrations 16 are preferably formed on the inner surface of the bow-shaped member 15 adjacent the ends thereof and are directed or inclined inwardly and toward the center of the bow-shaped member and these serrations provide frictional surface for enabling and 12 of the collar.

A pair of resilient tongues 18 and'19, preferably formed integral with each other, are rigidly secured at their inner ends 20 to the central portion ofthe member 15 and extend in opposite directions from this central portion in cooperating relation with the member 15. If desired, the resilient tongues 18 and 19 may be formed integral with the member 15. These tongues, as viewed in plan, (see Fig. 5) are of sinuous or wave formation which construction adds to their resiliency and also facilitates the ready insertion of the collar end portions 1.1 and 12 between the ends of the bow-shaped member and the resilient tongues.

The tongues 18 and 19, as viewed in front elevation, diverge outwardly from their point of connection with the member 15 so that their outer end portions are considerably wider than the member 15 and also extend beyond the ends of this member. Tongues 18 and 19 are provided with apertures 21 and 22, respectively, thesides of which also diverge outwardly from the point of connection of the tongues with the bow-shaped member. The tongues 18 and 19 are formed so grip the end portions 11 that the bow-shaped member 15 projects somewhat into the apertures 21 and 22 at points near the ends of the bow-shaped memher. Outwardly of such points of inward projection of the bow-shaped member, the tongues diverge away from this member to provide entrance ways or spaces 23 and 24- for receiving the free end portions of the collar 10. The ends of the bow shaped member 15 are also beveled or chamfered at 25 and 26 to further assist in facilitating easy insertion of the collar end portions.

In use, to attach the collar clasp to the collar, the ends of the collar clasp are pushed onto the free end portions ll'and 12 of the collar so that these end portions enter the entrance ways 23 and 24 and pass between tongues 18 and 1-9- a-nd the ends of the bowshaped member, the resilient tongues yielding sufiiciently to permitsuch insertion. The serrations 16 do not resist the insertion of the collar end portions between the bow-shaped member and the resilient tongues since these serrations are inclined inwardly and towards the center of the clasp. The tendency of parts of the end portions of the bow-shaped member to enter the apertures 21 and 22 of the tongues causes the material of the collar to be deflected inwardly somewhat into these apertures so that the material of the collar is firmly gripped between the bowshaped member and the resilient tongues.

lVit-h the novel clasp attached to the collar as shown in Figs. 1' and 2, any tendency for the end portions 11 or 12 to accidentally pull out from between the bow-shaped member and the resilient tongues is firmly resisted by the cooperative action of the serrations 16 and the resilient tongues. These serrations being directed inwardly and toward the center of the clasp serve to grip the collar end portions and retain themin desired position with respect to the clasp. The clasp may readily be removed from the collar by manually sliding it downwardly and off of the collar end portions. The sinuous formation of the resilienttongues enables the clasp to be worn directly over a collar button, if desired, as-shownin Fig. 2.

An important feature of the invention lies in the reversibility ofthe clasp for it may be worn with either the bow-shaped member toward the front or with the resilient tongues toward the front. Thus, by reversing the clasp from time to time, variety of appearance is obtained, since the clasp has an entirely different appearance when worn with the resilient tongues at the front from that which it has when worn with the bow-shaped member at the front.

It will be noted that the peculiar interlocking action of the bow-shaped member with the apertures of the resilient tongues causes the clasp to firmly grip the collar end portions without injury to the material of the collar, i. e. the deflecting of the material of the collar inwardly of the apertures 21 and 22 by the bow-shaped member produces a snubbing action, which together with the serrations 16 acts to firmly retain the clasp upon the collar end portions.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made withoutdep-arting from the scope thereof, it isintended' that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

V] hat is claimed is 1. A. jewelry clasp for collars andthe like comprising, oppositely extending resilient tongues of sinuous form having apertures therewit-hin,- asubstantially rigid member fixedly attached at its central portion to the inner ends of said resilient tongues, said member extending in the general direction of said tongues, and gripping means provided on said member and adapted to project into said apertures for cooperating with the latter and with said resilient tongues in gripping the parts connected by said clasp.

2. A jewelry clasp for collars and the like comprising, oppositely extending resilient tongues of sinuous form having apertures therewithin, asubstantially rigid bow-shaped member secured approximately midway of its length to the inner ends of said resilient tongues, said bow-shaped member extending in the general direction of said tongues,- and serrations formed on the end portions of said bow-shaped member and facing toward the apertures in said resilient tongues to cooperate with said apertured tongues in gripping the parts connected by said clasp.

8. A jewelry clasp for collars and the like col-uprising, integrally formed oppositely extending resilient tongues having apertures therein, a substantially rigid bow-shaped member secured approxin' a-tel y midway of its length to the inner ends of said resilient tongues, said bow-shaped member extending in the general directions of said tongues but terminating short ofthe ends thereof, and serrations formed on the inner surface of said bow-shaped member, said serrations being directed inwardly and toward the center of said clasp and being adapted to ooled operate with the apertu'red tongues to grip the parts connected by said clasp.

In testimony, that I claim the invention as set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of June, 1929.

ALLAN A. MACDONALD. 

